Alone

Maddie and George ride through the town systematically, checking every single street for signs of other humans left behind. They visit Maddie’s school, her friends’ houses, and businesses. They find many pets, and Maddie releases any still alive, hoping they will survive in the wild, but no humans. Maddie wishes Ashanti and Emma really had spent the night so she would not be alone now.

Running water also stops, so Maddie uses the bottled water in her mom’s house for drinking. She does not want to waste good water flushing toilets, so she uses boxed wine instead, pouring it into the bowl like her father once did with water.

Maddie and George eat perishable food until it perishes and then carry the garbage to the dumpster. After that, with no refrigerator, normal stove, or oven, they must use a camp stove and bottled water to cook nonperishable foods such as canned goods, pasta, and oatmeal. After finishing the food in her mother’s house, Maddie takes canned goods from neighbors with unlocked doors. She leaves notes thanking them.